Feb. 16. In America’s commercial culture ads are often entertainment (as on the Super Bowl). Likewise, as with this cartoon, what started out as entertainment could become an ad. (A variation of this cartoon appeared in Schoolcraft College’s math publication THE RIGHT ANGLE.) What would happen in our culture were advertising and entertainment to become undifferentiated? Have we really nearly reached that point?

Feb. 17. The Ralph Lauren polo team finds a sponsor.

Feb. 18

Feb. 19

Feb.20

Feb. 21. We’re pushing the envelope here. Or is everything product placement in a commercial culture?

Feb. 23

Feb. 24 These 2 cartoons are from my little 1985 cartoon book Coupon Clippers, which was featured on Jan Oplinus’ blog last weekend. Jan’s blog http://www.ecc-cartoonbooksclub.blogspot.com/ is about collecting cartoon books, both old and new. Jan features a fine international palette of cartoons as well as extensive links to the world of cartooning.

Feb.25

Feb. 26. I took the Chinese character for wood, placed it in a pot, and with a little poetic license turned it into a tree. Ophelia, a reference librarian from The Canton Public Library (Canton, MI, not China), drew the same “tree” and also made a “forest” and a “dense forest.” I love the natural ease of her characters and drawing. She learned her characters in grade school.

Feb. 27: English pictographs are harder to make than Chinese ones. Photos of Xmas tree by Philip Dattilo—philipdattilo.com